Regarding: Eucharistic Ministers

[polishprincess]

I was wondering if to be an EM if you are sworn in or take some sort a vow of something like that.

I read that EM’s are sworn in, but at my church it’s anyone who wants to be an EM can just take a course and immediately start distributing Holy Communion.

Thanks and God bless!

 

[CB_Catholic]

EMHC’s are commissioned, not sworn in, for a certain length of time (varying by Diocese). The Pastor can do this. It is usually up to him as to when and who.

I am a bit confused–do you think there is something wrong with them attending a training course and then immediately being commissioned and begin to distribute? The commissioning does not have to take place at Mass, although it often is. In your parish it was probably done outside of Mass and you are not aware of it.

BTW, this is not done hastily, as you seem to think. The Pastor has to approve who is being commissioned, and then a list is usually sent to the Bishop. There is a process that occurs.

 

[Phemie]

I was wondering if to be an EM if you are sworn in or take some sort a vow of something like that.

I read that EM’s are sworn in, but at my church it’s anyone who wants to be an EM can just take a course and immediately start distributing Holy Communion.

Thanks and God bless!

I’ve been in parishes where we had to do a course, then the pastor sent your name to the bishop, recommending you for the ministry. If the bishop accepted the recommendation he sent a letter or certificate to that effect back to the parish at which point the Pastor either simply announced that you were now an EMHC or formally installed you. Others, like yours, did nothing but offer the course and put you to work.

 

[polishprincess]

EMHC’s are commissioned, not sworn in, for a certain length of time (varying by Diocese). The Pastor can do this. It is usually up to him as to when and who.

I am a bit confused–do you think there is something wrong with them attending a training course and then immediately being commissioned and begin to distribute? The commissioning does not have to take place at Mass, although it often is. In your parish it was probably done outside of Mass and you are not aware of it.

BTW, this is not done hastily, as you seem to think. The Pastor has to approve who is being commissioned, and then a list is usually sent to the Bishop. There is a process that occurs.

 

[polishprincess]

EMHC’s are commissioned, not sworn in, for a certain length of time (varying by Diocese). The Pastor can do this. It is usually up to him as to when and who.

I am a bit confused–do you think there is something wrong with them attending a training course and then immediately being commissioned and begin to distribute? The commissioning does not have to take place at Mass, although it often is. In your parish it was probably done outside of Mass and you are not aware of it.

BTW, this is not done hastily, as you seem to think. The Pastor has to approve who is being commissioned, and then a list is usually sent to the Bishop. There is a process that occurs.

Thanks for answering my question.
God bless!

 

[thistle]

I was wondering if to be an EM if you are sworn in or take some sort a vow of something like that.

I read that EM’s are sworn in, but at my church it’s anyone who wants to be an EM can just take a course and immediately start distributing Holy Communion.

Thanks and God bless!

The priest is the Eucharistic Minister. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC) are NOT Eucharistic Ministers.
In the past EMHC’s were called EMHE’s (Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Eucharist). Unfortunately this led many of them to believe they were Eucharistic Ministers but they are not. The Church said this and was why the Church then changed the title to Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.

 

[bcuster]

In my previous parish, the priest invited lay people to be EMHC. He then sent the names to the bishop for approval. This may have changed when we changed bishops, because at my new parish, we don’t send the names to the bishop, we just choose parishioners who regularly attend Mass.

 

[ajecphotos]

Our Bishop calls us Eucharistic Ministers! I know, it’s not the right terminology by there you go!

 

[Brendan]

Redemptionis Sacramentum

[154.] As has already been recalled, “the only minister who can confect the Sacrament of the Eucharist in persona Christi is a validly ordained Priest”. Hence the name “minister of the Eucharist” belongs properly to the Priest alone. Moreover, also by reason of their sacred Ordination, the ordinary ministers of Holy Communion are the Bishop, the Priest and the Deacon, to whom it belongs therefore to administer Holy Communion to the lay members of Christ’s faithful during the celebration of Mass. In this way their ministerial office in the Church is fully and accurately brought to light, and the sign value of the Sacrament is made complete.

[155.] In addition to the ordinary ministers there is the formally instituted acolyte, who by virtue of his institution is an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion even outside the celebration of Mass. If, moreover, reasons of real necessity prompt it, another lay member of Christ’s faithful may also be delegated by the diocesan Bishop, in accordance with the norm of law,[256] for one occasion or for a specified time, and an appropriate formula of blessing may be used for the occasion. This act of appointment, however, does not necessarily take a liturgical form, nor, if it does take a liturgical form, should it resemble sacred Ordination in any way. Finally, in special cases of an unforeseen nature, permission can be given for a single occasion by the Priest who presides at the celebration of the Eucharist.[257]

[156.] This function is to be understood strictly according to the name by which it is known, that is to say, that of extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, and not “special minister of Holy Communion” nor “extraordinary minister of the Eucharist” nor “special minister of the Eucharist”, by which names the meaning of this function is unnecessarily and improperly broadened.